Pacman Cupcakes & An 80's Throwback Party

So, I made these cupcakes and cupcake toppers way back last August for a friend's 30th birthday.  At the time, I had posted it on my personal blog, but I have yet to share this project with you all here, and being that it is one of my absolute favorite projects I've ever done, I hope those of you who have already seen it won't mind the recap. Please excuse the junk in the background...these pictures were taken in a mad dash to get out the door!

No lie - after drawing out the pieces, I cut each and every one by hand.  I know, I know, I'm nuts!

And here's a little recap from my original post on my vision for the overall project and how I pulled it off...

Recap:
Okay, so...I don't normally post food stuff on my personal blog, but I've had several requests to send pictures of my latest cupcake endeavor, and I thought this would be the easiest way for everyone to view them.

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine asked me if I would make Pacman cupcakes for her "Throw-Back 80's" themed 30th birthday party, which was this past weekend, so I decided to Google "Pacman cupcakes" for ideas. I came across very few inspiring ideas. I even gave one of them a practice run, only to be disappointed. So, I started brainstorming and came up with my very own creation.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I have a love affair with crafting, yes, that's right...a love affair with crafting. I love to make things, anything really. I love to paint, draw, write, make cards, scrapbook, build stuff, decorate, bake, and try anything new that will test my creativity; therefore, I embraced the challenge before me.

After checking out a few other blogs, I decided that my cupcake display would need a little flair, as I wanted it to imitate the vision of a Pacman video game screen. I tried a few design options on photoshop and wasted a bunch of time and colored print-outs in the process, until I finally concluded that I just needed some fun paper, scissors and my drawing hand. Thus, I handcrafted and cut out each of the cupcake toppers you see below. Did it take me hours? Yep. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

I purchased some crafting sticks and several roles of ribbon to add even more detail to the toppers. Then I filled two large jars - one with gumballs and the other with Dum Dum Pops - to compliment the cupcake display. To top it off, I found the most perfect black fabric with yellow dots as the backdrop for the display, which added more of a Pacman video game feel.

As far as the "Cupcake" sign I created goes, I simply stenciled the words on colored paper, which I then glued to sticks to place in the bottles. I had a couple of empty Frank's Hot Sauce bottles that I wrapped in wribbon to serve as the holders for the sticks of the sign, an idea I snatched from one of the many blogs I follow.

All in all, I couldn't have been more pleased with the finished product. It took a TON of time and patient detailing work, but I had a blast with it, and I truly hope the birthday girl enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it for her!

Ciao!